Bookish feminism

plus TWO giveaways

Hi friends. I just realized I regularly open my newsletter by talking about the weather, like an obnoxiously well-meaning person who you’re trapped on an elevator with (actually, I’m of the do not make eye contact variety), but… What is up with this weather?

Half the country has been mid-blizzard for like weeks now. Meanwhile, February is when the Puget Sound area I live in occasionally get snows, yet today (as of writing this newsletter) as I walked my dogs, it was SIXTY (yes, 60!) degrees out! I rolled up my sleeves and carried my jacket under one arm, wishing desperately that I’d worn shorts.

Do you think Mother Nature knows it's February and not April?

Speaking of rolling my sleeves, here are some side notes before we get down to business:

• There’s a giveaway for EARLY copies of Somebody Worth Killing! Enter here.

• My friend Tara Goedjen has started a newsletter called Creative Coordinates and I highly recommend you join her over there. She’s a fabulous writer (and friend) who writes up-market, slightly creepy thrillers set in remarkable places.

• Tara will also be my conversation partner at my upcoming event at Browsers Bookshop in Olympia, WA, set for June 20 (save the date!).

• I recently joined Jason Arehart on his podcast, The Write Thing. We talked about my journey to becoming a writer, querying, perseverance, how to make jealousy work for you instead of against you, and more. Jason has a gift for this, you should definitely follow him and listen!

• I will be giving away a copy of Marisa Walz’s amazing debut Good Intentions over on my Instagram soon—follow me there to hear about it!

• WE HAVE A TITLE FOR BOOK 2 in the Somebody Worth Killing series! I can’t share it yet, but I adore it! Stay tuned for news…

• You can work with me to improve your query, write your first book, or talk through that difficult plot issue… click here for details.

Okay, moving on… You came here to hear me talk about feminism.

Either because you’re a feminist. Or… because you’re not.

Feminism is defined as the following:

per Merriam-Webster: Feminism (n): belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests (Source: Merriam-webster.com https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism)

Feminism is important because we, as women, are people, too. We matter. Our thoughts and opinions make the world a better place. Somewhere along the way, it became radical to think that women should be able to do what they want, to have absolutely normal freedoms, and I find that deeply disturbing. I’ve even had people tell me sexism no longer exists—women can do whatever they want! But…

There has never been a woman president in the United States.

Women are paid less than men for the same work.

We are still told to smile like it is our job to perform and look pretty for men.

Five out of seven male bosses I had in my 20s hit on me. Most of the time, I felt like it would negatively impact my job if I told them how uncomfortable that made me feel. I even had a female boss scold me when a man almost 20 years older than me, who was my direct supervisor, hit on me. I was told I acted inappropriately—somehow, this 38 year-old hitting on me at twenty-two was my fault.

My daughter has been invited to join cheerleading thrice, but not basketball or soccer or literally any other sport.

I, like many women, grew up being told to look prettier, to be more lady-like, more feminine, and oh, be nice to the boys, they’re only being mean because they like you.

These things are important, and they do matter. Even if things are better than they were at some point in the past, sexism still exists. Feminism is still important and necessary and again, about equality. These are just a few of the reasons I write what I do. To that end, here’s what I came here to say today:

One, I write feminist books. My latest is Somebody Worth Killing, built around the idea (and reality) that women can be assassins too.

Fun fact: female assassins often go undetected for significant periods of time—and many have never been caught—because they are less likely to be caught than their male counterparts.

I mean, I can’t help it if the facts point to the reality this is something women do better than men (source: Just as Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers).

In my book’s case, it’s Nadia Davis, mom, wife, and secretly, an assassin. This book is about what happens when a female assassin hits the glass ceiling of professional killers—and decides that is not going to fly. She demands a bigger job, only to learn the job she is assigned is to kill her husband…

I can’t tell you how much pre-orders help authors, and also—you’ll forget you ordered entirely until it shows up on your doorstep (or in your e-reader), bringing a smile to your future self’s face. My team is also working on some badass feminist stickers as a gift for those who pre-order signed copies. Signed copies or e-book versions available to order here.

Two, I’m writing a new feminist book! I wish I had a pitch to tease for this one, but it’s too early in the process. I’m nearing 100 pages in and it’s starting to feel book-shaped, which is such an exciting moment for an author. It’s when I know it’s going to work (not all book starts do). This one’s a tiny bit of a genre shift for me, which has involved lots of reading of fabulous books (more on that in a moment). I’ve got my fingers crossed my agent thinks is as good as I hope it is!

Three, I’ve collected my favorite micro-feminisms here on Instagram, including the following. Click the link for more:

Four, the publishing community is full of feminist books. I thought I’d share some of my recent favorites with you here. I would recommend each and every one of these:

The Feminine Mystique is one of those books I think everyone should read, especially women, especially feminists. Beyond the feminism, there’s the history, the evolution of women in society’s eyes, what they were allowed to do or told they could not do. While I’ve always been of the you can do anything sort, this is absolutely eye-opening.

The Mad Wife has been everywhere lately—it’s one of those it books you see in every bookstore right when you walk in, and honestly, for good reason. This book is much more than the blurb tells you—but I can’t give details without getting spoilery. All I can say is it’s worth the read.

We Would Never Tell is by my friend Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau who is a fellow thriller author. It’s set during the Cannes Film Festival in France and is one of those books that makes you feel like you are there, so atmospheric you’ll get drawn right in. It’s about three women—all who want something—and all who are suspected of murder.

The Women in White I finished last night as of writing this (late last night, as it kept me up!), and it might be my new favorite by Sarah Pekkanen. It’s told in two time periods in two different POVs—Riley in the present, a young woman starting over as she becomes a caregiver for Betty, a woman who has paraplegia and a mysterious past, and Betty back in the 1960s as she enters into a study for women believed to be psychic. It not only dips into the cultural issues of the era—namely, sexism and women being expected to do as told—but also address female friendship in a way that really got to me.

Five, this is especially for the parents of daughters…

There is a new magazine out there for girls (and it would be good for boys, too!) called Tween Magazine. This is a PRINT magazine that comes in the SNAIL MAIL that my daughter adores.

My daughter has read this issue three times already, and when a new one appeared in the mail, immediately disappeared into her reading nook with it!

According to their website: “Fun. Interesting. Sneakily educational. Tween is a lifestyle magazine for girls ages 8 to 13 with empowering, age-appropriate content. We encourage real-life, off-line adventures and connections. We don’t focus on beauty routines, celeb culture, or impressing crushes. We celebrate the everyday girl and want to build confidence and independence.” I love that it’s about a girl being herself, being artistic, confident, and powerful. My daughter comes away from this magazine inspired, not wishing she had more makeup or different clothes or a different color of hair.

You can learn more here.

I also have a copy to give away (!!!) if you’re in the United States (sorry, shipping elsewhere is $$$). Just comment if you’re in the app, or reply to this email. I’ll choose a random winner early next week!

That’s all I have for you today! Happy reading, writing, ranting, and coffee drinking. - Jessica

PS, what’s your favorite feminist read?